Customer Reviews

The Fires of the Borderlands

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Robin Storey, the British artist who goes by the moniker Rapoon, has emerged in the past decade as an important composer/musician of atmospheric/technology-based tribal music, much like his American counterpart Steve Roach as well as a dozen or so other artists working in the same arena. With albums like "Vernal Crossing" and "Recurring (Dream Circle)", he created mind-bending tapestries of minimalistic percussion patterns and quasi-melodic drones fused with occasional doses of well-placed white noise, an approach much in debt to his 12 year stint with ambient-industrial pioneers *zoviet-france* from 1980-1992. Though most of his works are certainly worthy of critical acclaim, "Fires of the Borderlands" is the album that will be eventually acknowledged as his masterpiece.

His most atmospheric work yet, Storey has started to use percussive elements more and more in the background. Rhythm is still discernable in pieces like "Talking to a Stick" but becomes less of a standout on "Snake of Earth", where a swirling combination of metallic drones and what sounds like a highly processed steel drum motif take shape. "Omaneska" is both the longest and most breathtaking track, its choral underpinnings refering to the works of Ligeti and seems to reflect an expansive desert landscape, but this is not the desert musings of Steve Roach. Instead, Storey's ruminations seem to reflect more of an Asiatic mystique: case in point, the track "Looking...not finding" reminds me of the early music of Paul Horn (most importantly "Inside the Taj Mahal"), where Horn combined exquisite flute solos with equally exquisite vocals. Here, Storey has done the same, except without the superior acoustics of the Taj Mahal but with an equal sense of sublimity, achieving a sense of grace few others within the electronic music realm have done before. Now, if he would only reunite with *zoviet-france* (even if it's only to record one album), we could expect the impossible to occur...

when i bought this cd in ninety eight i didn't think that it would become a staple to my collect. it has been the main sleeping texture in my life for almost two years straight (that and Asphalt by In the Nursery.) i still have not gotten sick of the album. I can listen to it on repeat for hours and lose all concept of time, something that i can't say for most albums.

There are many facets to the sort of music you'll find on this disc. Some refer to it as ambient, or minimal. Some dub it dark and tribal. In all forms of music - the above included - to evoke a unique spirit in the creation is a tricky endeavor.

The Fires on the Borderlands succeeds here; much more than merely unique, the album is a world in itself...full of a mysterious and ancient sound that draws you in quietly. The sound is huge, surrounding and elegant...performed with a mastery on the level with the best of its kind.

I heard the opening track - "Hollow Flight" - on an internet radio station. Though my attentions were elsewhere, it didn't take long for the piece to hook me. I had no experience with this artist before, but now I'm fascinated to learn more. Give this album a try...and I think you'll feel the same.

I only recently discovered the work of Robin Storey (as Rapoon -- I listened to several Zoviet France releases years ago). THE FIRES OF THE BORDERLANDS was the first disc I acquired -- I couldn't be happier with it. The album is constructed masterfully in shimmering waves of sound -- the overall effect is extremely soothing. This is one of those rare albums which the listener can enjoy in both an ambient setting and one in which he/she chooses to pay very close attention to the music. Storey's incorporation of ethnic sounds and moods transports the listener gently to a relaxed, yet attentive state of consciousness. Highly recommended.

This release from Robin Storey (Zoviet France) is full of deep, reverberated atmospheres. The music is thick and dense but never too dark. The result is a soothing nighttime mantra. Beautiful!

This is one of those wonderful recordings that must be listened to loud, alone and with the lights turned out late at night. The three samples above are indicative of the entire recording. Is the music repetative? I suppose so, but therein lies its beauty - the listening to the multiple layers of different sound building and washing over constant drones. It's moving, beautiful and sometimes dark and disturbing - the rewards come after repeated and careful listening.

There are few words for this creation other than it is absolutely perfect and lets the listener slip into the infinite.

If you liked to listen to Pink Floyd's "Atom Heart Mother" in the 70's, you will like Rapoon and Zoviet France in the late 90's! Listen to track 3 for starters.